Music is Magic, Music is Divine and this WWW is yours. This is just a collection of music videos, which we all love to see again and again. No language or sound barriers, enjoy each moment of your visit with Q4music.

Carnatic Music lovers covet this song. Vandana Ramakrishnan, a student of Class 12, rendered this song at the Tyagaraja Aradhana in Jan 2008 in Kuwait. She learns Carnatic Music from her mother, Smt. Usha Ramakrishnan

Violin Maestro TKV Ramanujacharyulu Sir teaches how to play the notes of the mayamalavagowla raga on violin. More kruthis and ragas to come stay tuned. I recorded this on a sunday afternoon after he has returned from a concert

Violin Maestro Sri TKV Ramanujachayulu Sir plays todi ragam. This is one of my favorite raagas. Very few can play this raga as beautiful as TKV sir. It needs lot of involvement and understanding of music for decades to come up with some of the sangathis that TKV sir played.

In this video TKV Sir plays the ever green kruthi of Saint Tyagaraja - Samaja vara gamana. This video starts with a brief raga rendition. Observe how he played very difficult phrases of Hindolam with great ease.

Sathya performed Yochana - a Dharbar raga krithi during a private concerton the 8th April'07 in Chennai and was enchansed by B Ananthakrishnan on violin, Thillaisthanam Suriyanarayanan on Mrudhangam, Sowrirajan on Kanjeera & Morsing and Harihara Subramaniam on Ghatam

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Amrita TV through its various programmes strive to find, nurture and develop talent in all fields of creativity and human interest. Raga Ratnam Junior exemplifies this effort by showcasing Carnatic musicians in the 10-15 years young age group. This programme is a first ever in the history of Malayalam televison

Raga Ratnam Junior (RRJ), launched in September of 2007, is a Carnatic music talent hunt for children in the 10-15 age group. RRJ in many ways exemplifies Amrita TV’s commitment to its audiences of producing programs that are enriching, endearing and entertaining. The channel has become a pioneer in the field of reality TV with RRJ as a shining star in its constellation of innovative, unique and creative programmes.

Auditions for the talent hunt took place in Chennai, Bangalore, Thrissur and Trivandrum.

The contest has been staged in multiple rounds of different renditions of Carnatic music; to date the rounds have been Keerthanam, Drishya Sangeetham, Swathi Thirunal, Thillana, Dance, Fusion, Jugalbandhi, Manodharma , Varnam, Pancharatnam, and Meerabhajan. For the final stage a special round called Kacheri is currently in progress with the final 3 contestants.

Today, we look at K. Mahathi, one of the final contestants, who got eliminated recently leaving way for the final 3. In this small but fairly detailed snapshot let us look at his profile and also listen to some of his performances which took her this far.

Amrita TV through its various programmes strive to find, nurture and develop talent in all fields of creativity and human interest. Raga Ratnam Junior exemplifies this effort by showcasing Carnatic musicians in the 10-15 years young age group. This programme is a first ever in the history of Malayalam televison

Raga Ratnam Junior (RRJ), launched in September of 2007, is a Carnatic music talent hunt for children in the 10-15 age group. RRJ in many ways exemplifies Amrita TV’s commitment to its audiences of producing programs that are enriching, endearing and entertaining. The channel has become a pioneer in the field of reality TV with RRJ as a shining star in its constellation of innovative, unique and creative programmes.

Auditions for the talent hunt took place in Chennai, Bangalore, Thrissur and Trivandrum.

The contest has been staged in multiple rounds of different renditions of Carnatic music; to date the rounds have been Keerthanam, Drishya Sangeetham, Swathi Thirunal, Thillana, Dance, Fusion, Jugalbandhi, Manodharma , Varnam, Pancharatnam, and Meerabhajan. For the final stage a special round called Kacheri is currently in progress with the final 3 contestants.

Today, we look at Akhil Krishna, one of the final contestants, who got eliminated recently leaving way for the final 3. In this small but fairly detailed snapshot let us look at his profile and also listen to some of his performances which took him this far.

I came across a nice discussion on this song and it's creation on the web and give below the same here for your reading:

There are some established norms and values in the Indian tradition. In many cases these are not to be questioned, but simply to be followed. Carnatic music is one such area. Our forefathers had said that there are raagas for different parts of the day, and likewise for different moods and events. For example, the morning raaga is said to be Poobaalam; raaga for noon is Saaranga; raaga for evening time is Vasanthaa; raaga depicting mercy is Neeelambari; raaga used to declare war is said to be Kambeera Naatai; raaga for happy mood is Danyaasi; raaga for composing Venbaa is Sangarabharanam; raaga for composing Agaval Paa is Thodi; raaga that is most appropriate for Tamil music is Kalyani etc. This is very much explained in the movie Sampoorna Ramayanam. However Ilayaraja begged to differ, with what he considered valid reasons, of course. He said in many concerts that he does not believe in such rigid principles. He took a bold stand to affirm that what you compose in the morning is morning raga, and whatever you compose in the evening is raga for the evening. Likewise what you compose in the afternoon is afternoon raga, he said. He went against such norms. In many of his concerts Raja had mentioned that he was not in favour of subscribing to blind imitation of old thoughts.

Sindhu Bairavi (1985) is a film where Balachander was able to reflect the thoughts of Raja. That was not pre- planned, but just happened to be a mere co incident.

One may recollect the film Unnal Mudiyum Thamby which has some controversial messages hitting at hard proponents of carnatic music who never welcomed modernisation in the carnatic music. Kamal’s dialogue with Gemini Ganesan is quite thought provoking. That film has nothing to do with Raja, other than that Raja composed music. But Sindhu Biaravi is one which by a strange coincidence reflected his own thoughts, which very timely concurred with the thoughts of Balachandeer as well. Perhaps Balachander never harboured such thoughts on carnatic music. He could have invented such controversial thoughts for the movie.

The one scene where Suhashini challenges Sivakumar at a carnatic concert very much seem to reflect the thoughts of Ilayaraja. Compared to any other MDS of recent times, Raja had fathomed into the very bottom of folk tunes as no one else. He had mastered the field of folk tunes and was unearthing the old and untold intricacies of folk music. Therefore he was more than the only qualified MD in recent times to compare and contrast carnatic music with folk music. Deep inside, Raja felt that all the emotions, feelings and depth found in the carnatic songs are adequately, if not, equally available in the folk tunes. This movie was produced at a time when Raja was extremely busy. He had no time to sit with big banner producers like K. Balachander to discuss song creation. But he availed himself for this Sindu Bhairavi. Balachander told the situation where Suhashini sings folk song and suddenly, and most unexpectedly switches to Carnatic tune. Raja understood the concept and went home to work on his imagination. Within 24 hours Raja came with what became the biggest controversy in his career. What Raja came out with was simply mind boggling. He not only captured the thoughts of Balachander, but also created a great controversy.

The song was picturised. The same musicians who played for carnatic song, played for folk tune, using the same instruments. Chitra starts with folk tune alright. But when she switched to singing suras she starts to sing Mari Mari Ninne, the Thiagaraya Keerthanai. All along this keerthanai was sung in Kamboji raga. But here Raja changed it to Saaramathy Raga. There was a volcanic eruption in Tamilnaadu. The proponents of Carnatic raga erupted with emotions, alleging and accusing that Raja was killing the very foundation and roots of carnatic music. They argued that while Thiagarayar had sung the keerthana in Kamboji raaga, Ilayaraja had switched it to Saaramathy raaga. Raja immediately retorted and replied, and even questioned them. He asked if any one could prove to him beyond any reasonable doubt if Thiagarayar did actually sing Mari Mari Ninne in Kamboji raaga. He threw another open challenge. He asked them to provide a list of all keerthanas and prove if they had been sung in the specific raagas as understood for ages. He threw an open challenge asking anyone to come forward to prove that. That challenge was not taken up by anyone until this day. Raja broke blind imitation.

Ilayaraja received national award for this film (and also for Saagara Sangamam and Rudraveena). Chitra too received national award, though I believe this was only her fifth Tamil film. Chitra had to decide between her MA final examinations and the recording of this song. Finally she sang it and bagged the coveted national award. It was not usual for Raja to appear for victory celebrations. But he did turn up for the victory celebrations of Sindu Bairavi. When he spoke, he said he turned out all for the respect he had for K. Balachander.

Tabla, Pakhawaj and Bapu Padmanabha on bansuri flute along with Amano Manish on slide guitar.A beautiful evening created by Bapu Padmanabha and Uday Rmdas Deshpande on Tabla ,Pratap on Pakhawaj enthralled audiences in Hospet Karnataka.People responded according to the rhythms performed by artistes They clapped along with them...Nice conversation between audiences and artistes Bapu Padmanabha ended with his flute bansuri...

Sandeep N. Bharadwaj (b. 06/05/1995) from Chicago,USA, has set a world record for the Youngest Non-Indian releasing a Carnatic Music Concert Album and Performing at the prestigious Madras (Chennai) Music Season on Dec 28, 2007. Details here:http://worldrecordsacademy.org/societ...

Sruthilayam is an excellent programme presented in Amritha TV from Monday to Friday at 08:30 am IST. The programme presented by Sri Krishna Chandran covers every day one carnatic artist, either vocal or instrumental and presents in detail about the singer, the accompanying artists, details on the keerthanam he/she is going to sing etc. For Carnatic music enthusiasts this is a good venue to learn more about carnatic music and it's different ways and varieties of presentation.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Neyyattinkara Vasudevan (1940-2008) was a leading Carnatic vocalist from Kerala. He belongs to Neyyattinkara , a township south of Thiruvananthapuram.

Vasudevan born in humble surroundings and after finishing his high school studies, his ardent love towards Carnatic music prompted him to join the Swathi Thirunal Music College at Thiruvananthapuram. He passed Ganabhushanam in 1960 and Sangeetha Vidwan in 1962 with colours. His skills were honed in the College by a bunch of reputed musicians under the leadership of the illustrious Semmangudi Sreenivasa Iyer. Later Vasudevan imbibed the esoteric subtleties from a rigorous training meted out by Ramnad Krishnan in Chennai. Vasudevan's career graph soared upwards with his arrival to Tripunithura to serve as Assistant Professor in RLV College of music there. This hoary royal town has ever provided a fecund soil for any aspiring musician to bloom and Vasudevan was no exception. With his charming disposition and a positive approach to his chosen vocation, he became immensely popular. In 1974, he joined the All India Radio, Trivandrum as 'A Grade' Staff artist in Vocal Music from where he retired in 2000. The AIR honoured him with 'A Top Rank' - the highest rank in Carnatic Classical Music. He has been to American countries and Canada in 1983, 1984 and 1994 respectively for giving public performances and for imparting music to music lovers. He has also given public performances in Abudhabi, Dubai, and Muscat during his tour in 1992.

Sri Vasudevan died on May 13, 2008.

Albums and Recordings

The A.V.M Studios has released a cassette of Swathi Thirunal Krithis sung by Vasudevan. The C.B.S has produced two cassette volumes, sung by him, containing Krithis of different composers. The HMV & Manorama Music have also produced a volume of krithis rendered by him. For the film "Swathi Thirunal", Sri.Vasudevan served as consultant for music aspects. He has also sung in films (Classical Music only) such as "ENIPADIKAL (1968)", "SWATHI THIRUNAL (1987)", "CHITHRAM (1988)", "VACHANAM (1990)" & "MAZHA (2000)".

He has recorded a music album Classical Encounters with his diciple Sreevalsan J Menon

Rendition Style

His strict adherence to tradition and yet innovating within it, unique style of raga elaboration, inimitable style of rendering rakthi ragas, rendering of compositions in appropriate tempo, compact swaraprasthara and above all his capacity to build up a rapport with the accompanying artists as well as his listeners brought him encomiums even in a place like Chennai where the audiences are fastidious by nature. When he secured the prize for the best sub-junior vocalist in 1971, at the Music Academy, roaring reviews had appeared in the leading newspapers. Vasudevan's gift for voice modulations and flourishes are always enviable. He comes out always with a clean diction and his format during a concert is evenly distributed among our Sahajavaggeyakaras. He has taken a lot of pains in popularising, Swathi Thirunal compositions throughout the country and abroad.

Disciples

Vasudevan is blessed with a number of disciples in South India and U.S.A. Some of the performing musicians who are his disciples include M.G.Sreekumar, Sreevalsan J.Menon, Late Thripunithura Lalitha, Mukhathala Sivaji, Alleppey Sreekumar, Suresh.K.Nair, Vellayani Ashok Kumar, Narayanan Nair etc.

Honours and Awards

Vasudevan has been given the Indian President's Award in the A.I.R. Music competition in 1960. He has been given music concerts regularly in Madras Music Academy ever since 1972. He has been given awards for Best Vocalist in the years 1972, 1978, 1982 and 1988 by the same institution. In 1993 he was given award for Best Musician in Raga rendering.

He has been giving public performances throughout India and abroad. Almost all top ranking violinists and mridangists have accompanied him in his concerts. He has also been featured in the National Programme of Music and Radio Sangeetha Sammelan concerts. The Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy Award was given to him in the year 1982 and the prestigious Sangeetha Nataka Academy Fellowship in 1989. He received the Tulasivanam Award of Kerala in 1992. The title "Asthana Vidwan" was conferred on him in 1984 by the Sri. Venkateswara Temple Trust, Pittsburgh, U.S.A. The Govt. of India's Sangeeth Natak Academy, National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama honoured him with the Academy award for Carnatic Music in 2000. The prestigious Padmasree came in search of him in 2004 and the Swathi Puraskaram in 2006/7 by Kerala State Government.

More news on late Sri Neyyattinkara Vasudevan

He studied at the Swathi Thirunal Music collage and served as a professor of music there. His music is a combination of tradition and innovation. He has contributed in a big way to popularize Swathi compositions both as a teacher and a performer.

Hailing from Neyyattinkara, to the south of Thiruvananthapuram district, he studied in the Swati Tirunal College of Music here. The Carnatic music world realised his immense potential during his initial days of performance itself. Here was a singer in the truly classical mould who was not afraid of innovations. This twin quality made him acceptable to both the traditionalists and the innovators. To the delight of both, he soon took the Carnatic music world by storm. His concerts were eagerly awaited in the music circuits of Kerala. The sheer brilliance of his rendering made him acceptable to even the most exclusive institutions engaged in the promotion of exquisite music and brilliant singers.

He has succeeded in grooming up a group of talented young singers who are expected to do him proud in the coming days.

He was 68 and is survived by wife and two sons, according to his family sources. Contributing in a big way to popularise Swathi compositions, his music is a combination of tradition and innovation. Neyyattinkara Vasudevan was so popular for his charming disposition.

Vasudevan was born in 1940 in humble surroundings at Neyyattinkara near here. After finishing his high school studies, he joined the Swathi Thirunal Music College at Thiruvananthapuram because of his ardent love for Carnatic music.

He was recognised as ''Ganabhushanam'' in 1960 and ''Sangeetha Vidwan'' in 1962. Vasudevan had served as Assistant Professor in RLV College of music at Tripunithura. In 1974, he joined All India Radio (AIR), Thiruvananthapuram as an 'A Grade' artist. He retired in the year 2000.

Vasudevan was honoured with many awards, including the Padmasree in 2004 and the Swathi Puraskaram in 2007.

He was also awarded the Sangeeth Natak Academy for Carnatic Music in 2000 and the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy Award in 1982. He was also awarded the Sangeetha Nataka Academy Fellowship in 1989.

From The Hindu when he was selected for the Swati Puraskaram

Extraordinary musician and teacher: Neyyattinkara Vasudevan.

Neyyattinkara Vasudevan, who has been selected for the Swati Puraskaram, has renewed, refined and enriched the musical tradition he inherited from the great masters of Carnatic music.

His unlimited generosity as a guru has enhanced the lives of his disciples.

Ask mridangam maestro Umayalpuram Sivaraman about his favourite Carnatic musician from Kerala, and he would reply quickly: “Neyyattinkara Vasudevan.”

The master percussionist once told the audience at a concert in Mumbai: “If you want to be treated to the music of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Ramnad Krishnan and M. D. Ramanathan simultaneously, listen to Neyyattinkara Vasudevan.”

The maestro from Neyyattinkara, near Thiruvananthapuram, has renewed, refined and enriched the musical tradition he inherited from the great masters of Carnatic music. He has spiritedly preserved this tradition through his concerts and lessons to two or three generations of students, becoming its most important icon in post-Independence Kerala.

He likens a brilliant concert to a dynamic painting by an artist who has a definite idea about how to set out the elements, choose a light source and what to include or exclude in the composition.

Early 1990s. Being his disciple, I was with him as he proceeded to present a concert at the Ramaseva Mandali in Bangalore. Sometime ago, he had taught me ‘Sukhiyavaro’ in raga Kanada. When he was freshening up before the concert, I practised the raga with different swara combinations.

He stepped out of the shower, and said: “The sangathis (phrases) are good, but too many of them will make the presentation stale. Brevity is the soul of wit.”

Economy of expression

Economy of expression is the hallmark of his concert. He has proved that brevity in raga delineation, in swara prasthara and neraval is a worthy counterpoint to elaboration.

Nevertheless, each time you listen to him singing a raga, it would sound different. Concert to concert, he would change the manner of elaboration, pushing the boundaries of creativity. Sometimes, the raga presentation is guided by ‘lakshya.’ Here, the singer himself does not know which phrase comes next. There is a flow of spontaneous ideas.

On other occasions, he is guided by lakshana, where the plan is premeditated. In his concerts, there is a fine and majestic balance between the magical and the planned. He builds his musical edifice upon the foundations of brevity and balance.

Musicians of the younger generation have much to imbibe from the manner in which he interacts with fellow-beings. His simplicity, humility and, above all, unconditional love for others are exemplary. His unlimited generosity as a guru has enhanced the lives of his disciples. He would spend long hours teaching, making his disciples listen to stalwarts and discussing music.

If things went above their heads, he would say: “You will grasp this over time.”

He loves all forms of music, though he practises only the Carnatic style. He has made me listen to Pakistani brothers as much as G. N. Balasubramanian or M. D. Ramnathan. While we were travelling once, the background score of the film, ‘Salam Bombay’, composed by L. Subramaniam, was played in the car stereo. He exulted: “This is brilliant.”

He worked as assistant professor in the RLV College of Music, Thripunithura, for nearly a decade before joining All India Radio as an A-grade staff vocalist in 1974. He retired in 2000 and was later ranked A Top, the highest honour given by AIR to classical musicians. He never chased awards, but they came his way. He is a recipient of the Madras Music Academy Award, Kerala Sangeeta Nataka Akademi Award (1982), Kerala Sangeeta Nataka Akademi Fellowship (1989), Kendra Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1999-2000) and Padma Sri (2004).

Apt award

The conferment of the Swati Puraskaram on him is apt as he has been one of the greatest ambassadors of the compositions of Swati Tirunals. The core of his music is embedded in the Semmangudi-Ramnad bani. He generally employs a madhyamakala tempo. His style of rendition is deceptively simple. He draws from D. K. Jayaraman’s adherence to kriti structure, M. D. Ramanathan’s brevity of presentation and G. N. Balasubramaniam’s raga elaboration. He pays close attention to diction.

I remember him having demonstrating the pronunciation of ‘Ra’ in ‘Rama Nannu Brova Ra.’ ‘Ra’ in ‘Rama’ is different from ‘Ra’ in Ratish or ‘Ra’ in ‘Rava.’ “Rama’s ‘Ra’ is somewhere in between,” he explained.

His ability to feel the pulse of the audience is much talked-about. Be it a Sangeetha Sabha in Chennai packed with connoisseurs or a cutcheri in a Kerala temple with lay listeners, he relates instantly to the audience and takes them to heights of aesthetic pleasure.

As mridangam maestro Mavelikkara Velukutty Nair says: “Neyyattinkara Vasudevan is an extraordinary musician and teacher – absolutely one of a kind.”

Hope this collection of information on late Sri Neyyattinkara Vasudevan was useful to all of you and let us all join together collectively offering our regards and pranams to the departed soul of this musical maestro and offer our condolences to his family members. Music is immortal and he will continue to remain with us forever through his songs.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Sampradaya bhajans is a particular form of bhajans where devotional songs are sung in a systematic order covering almost all gurus and gods. This particular format is lengthy and as I repeat, this is extremely interesting, once you attend the session in full a few times and gradually you will become a fan of it. The tempo gradually created during the session is amazing. The instruments are played in tandom but in a very disciplined manner. There is lots of noise, with bhakti around, but these all may seem to be a disorganised commotion from an outsider (just like a Rock band performance for a country music fan) but for a devotee who has attended these sessions and enjoys the pattern, it will be a wonderful experience traveling through the sannidhi of devotion.

For your further information, I provide below little more detail about Sampradaya bhajans:

Sampradaya Bhajana or Dakhshina Bharatha Sampradaya Bhajana is the tradition of Bhajans in India and as the name suggests particularly in South India. It's the collection of Kirtanas and Namavalis in a specific order. Mainly the order has been evolved by Sri Marudhanallur Sadguru Swamigal, Sri Pudukottai Gopala Krishna Bhagavathar.

Sampradaya Bhajans Background

The trinity of gurus as far as Bhajans are considered as Bodhendra Swamigal, Sridhara Ayyaval and Marudhanallur Sadguru Swamigal. The sampradaya bhajana paddhati has mainly evolved due to the tradition and efforts of Marudhanallur Sadguru Swamigal.

Pooja ends here and Divya namam starts.. (deepa pradakshinam - With lighted lamp in the middle considering the lamp as God, bhagavatas will do sankeertan by doing pradakshinas) This equals going around the earth.

Then comes dolotsavam (making God sleep)

1. Anjaneya Keertanai 2. Mangalam

The Thotaka Ashtakam was composed by Thotakachariyar. It is sung in praise of Sri Adi Sankara of Kaladi. Legend says that Thotakachariya( or Thotakar) was a devotee of Aadi Sankara. Do not combine this Thodaya Mangalam of Bhagavathas with the Thotaka Ashtakam of Thotakachariyar.

You may please listen to these links to get a feel of it and listen a few Sampradaya Bhajans

Many people say that they are able to excel in the field due to Saraswathi's leelavilasangal. I am just modifying it and saying that it is all due to Sree Lalithambika's leelavilasam. Because, it is this Sree Lalithambika who is coming in front of us in various forms in Sree Lalitha Sahasra namamam as Devi, Sarawathi, Lakshmi, Durga etc etc. It's all different forms according to our own imagination and application of these imaginations at various times. From closely following Sree Lalitha Sahasranamam what we can understand is how we see the various forms of Devi according to our liking and circumstances. It is also the same as to how we create any concept and continue with it with our mind and focus fully involved in it.

Consider a simple example. Many of us like Sambhar. Many times we remember some particular occasion or place or even from our own mother or grandmothers cooking, a particular day’s taste and even after many years we cherish that taste. Same mother or grandmother may be cooking the same quantity of sambhar every day using the same quantity of toovar dal, pumpkin, tomato, onion, brinjals, drumstick, potato, etc. But we may not get the taste which we had on that particular day. It may be either due to the difference in quality of the vegetable we had today and that day or due to the difference in quantity of masala which she included today than that day or due to the difference in adding of the relevant quantity of ingredients like tamarind pulp or salt or may be due to the quantity difference in mustard seeds and curry leaves used in tempering or may be even due to the minute difference in asafoetida added today than that day. As you know and as many others know, making of a good sambhar with unforgettable taste is a systematic process with the right elements and content added at the right time. Even if do take the right elements and contents, may be we do not get it right according to that particular taste which we wanted to have it. Here comes the two most important factors, the first one is attentiveness (sradha) and the second one is devotion (bhakthi). These were the two important factors which our mother or grandmother filled with care on that particular day while preparing it. These are the two, if followed with the right principles, will never miss to take us from our objectives.

Coming to your question of Purusha sooktham chanting or rather, any other devotional chanting, it all depends on our mind set. According to me, there is no harm in chanting Purusha sooktham by looking at printed text and learning from a cassette. This again leads us to the question, which cassette, which style and version of rendering. For each of these there are many different versions available now. For example, I have at least more than 30 different versions of Lalitha Sahasranamam cassettes and CDs and about 100 or more different live chanting sessions from various bhajans. Each CD and cassette projects the vibration which existed on that day and also highlights to some extend the gathering present on that occasion. This leads us to one important factor before chanting these stothrams. This is none other than bringing our mindset to the frame of chanting these relatively long namavalis. This is the reason why before any satsang, they start slowly with repeated Om chanting, followed by other small stotras to invite our mind to the place we are, i.e. the sannidhi of our Devi or Devan. Slowly, we gain the momentum and along with that we would (or the group) would reach and would have started chanting the main namavali and continue to travel in the divine flow.

So, select a version which is convenient for you to play keeping in mind the tradition and sastras. For Purusha Sooktha series, I think, there is one particular series of cassettes and CDs released by Giri Trading (Giri Cassettes) Madras and they strictly follow traditional way of rendering by releasing good devotional CDs and cassettes. I think there is a cassette by Sri Hari Achuta Sastri (if I remember the name correctly) and it is relatively good style of chanting to follow. Here again, there is an element of core pronunciation and rendering style involved in these cassettes by these revered singers who follow mostly Tamil, Sanskrit or Telugu style. So, you may select your own convenient and simple style with comfortable pace, However, it is always good to keep in mind the earlier mentioned two important factors, Sradha and bhakthi. You will see the best way of rendering coming to you right in a gradual and automatic way.

To sum it, our mind is always like a playful little monkey. It is really difficult to focus it in one objectgive as it wander around with various thoughts, especially when one sits to chant a long namavalli like Lalithasahasranamam or Vishnu Sahasranamam or series of Sookthams. This is also the reason why one suggests devotees to attend satsangs and bhajan sessions in group as it prompts or tempts and take his mind to travel to that focal point, which is the divine sannidhi, along with everyone. It is therefore important for us to calm down this little monkey to sit idle for some time and focus on one particular thing, here in this case discussion with the supreme god during our prayer. If we achieve this, whatever format or form we use will have no significance.

Let us discuss the issue of difficulty in understanding Carnatic music by all. It’s true that initially for a novice, there is always a fear to go near Carnatic music. The phobia is similar to several others, or for instance the most common one, i.e, many people had towards chanting of Sree Lalitha Sahasranamam. The more you put an effort, go nearer to it, see it, feel it and start enjoying it, you will definitely get addicted to it. Therefore, the best possible way is to get to know Carnatic music through movie songs, various forms of it are easily available for us.

There is also another illusion. Many people tend to believe that most of the Carnatic musicians know nothing else. Earlier I too believed the same. The belief changed gradually and it got cemented even further by watching the re-cap shows of Raga Ratnam the other day, in which they were focusing on our little Mahadevan.

Talent comes as a complete package, and that package has to be nurtured every moment. Each moment, if you have a vidhya in you or you know you have an affinity for it, or if you long to learn it, you have to be focused and try to acquire as much information from all sources and polish it in every opportunity available. This is also one thing I learnt long back from an interview of Ustad Zakir Hussain, the Tabala maestro. In his interview, he was asked a question that how and where he practice during his hectic globe trotting schedule? Immediately he answered back by taking a match-box lying in front of him and tapping on it, answered that he practice in his mind and on every object he could lay his hands on during travel.

This belief has further holds the fact that training in Carnatic style, either vocal or instrumental, can lead to later improvisation to any music style around the world. We have many examples and most easy one is Shivamani on the drums. Our own Stephen Devassy is another example.

Talking about continuous practice within mind also bring another very lively example. Recently, I had put on this forum a video upload of a Shiveli melam at Irinjalakuda Koodalmanikyam temple. If you have not watched it, kindly watch. Look at the rhythm, tempo and co-ordination of all the 250 odd artists participating in it. And the devotees who cheer them up in front of them. They all raise their hand rhythmically waving and cheer the artists. Many times, we even get the feeling that the artists perform in such a high tempo, purely because of the highly devoted fans in front of them. When you look at it seriously, can you tell how many of these performers actually get to practice on real chenda or ilathalams or kurumkuzhal or kombu in that tempo which is created live at the venue. Not even one. It all comes from within.

To make an effort to listen Carnatic music takes a bit of getting used to is required. Some knowledge of the theory as well as an appreciation of what goes into it will really help you understand Carnatic music. Unlike other popular music, it doesn't always have a catchy tune, usually isn't sung by people in cool clothes and with great hair, and isn't over in three-and-a-half minutes. Plus, you don't always understand the words. These are big barriers to learning Carnatic, but some listening and learning will get you started. So, do you have a few minutes to sit patiently and read what is going to be put in here. If YES, is the answer, within few months, I bet you will be in front of a Kacheri, in the front row, enjoying it better than anyone else.

Beware, if you take more interest, soon you'll be collecting tapes and CDs and MP3s of your own and start to be a true rasika.

Many times, you could be humming a tune, and believe it or not, you're already understanding Carnatic. The language some times is hard to understand because it is either in one of these languages, usually Sanskrit, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, or Malayalam. Since the languages are pretty different, it's hard for people to understand them. Don't worry, sometimes even the singers don't know what the words mean!

Raga

As for the tune, you can start learning to like it by listening. You can hear a few songs on tape (or hey, MP3), and slowly you'll start to recognize them, because maybe you can hum them, or maybe you've heard something similar before. You'll notice that each song has a particular kind of tune to it - it tends to stick to the same sorts of notes. That's what is meant by the term raaga.

Carnatic uses only particular notes in a particular song or section of a song. So you might think, hey, this song sounds a lot like that one I heard last night - and you'd probably be wrong because you were sleeping. But with practice you'd be right a lot, because songs are sometimes written in the same raagas! So they're supposed to sound similar.

Tala

The other component of a song is rhythm. People on stage and in the audience keep beating their thighs or clapping their hands to the rhythm - no, this is not some strange masochistic ritual or a weird way of showing appreciation (appreciation is usually expressed with shaking of the head as if you're saying no, closing your eyes, and exclaiming Wa! Aahaa! or Besh!), these people are keeping time. This rhythm or system of keeping time is called Taala.

How can YOU keep time? Watch someone who seems to be pretty good. Make sure the person on stage appears to be going at the same beat (sometimes the audience can be really confident and really WRONG). Now copy their movements. You can do this softly on your thigh or hand without inflicting horrendous pain which will make you scream and make everyone else lose their beat!

Slowly you'll start to see a pattern arising - usually of 8 beats or 3 beats on your thigh. Each cycle of the pattern determines what taala it is. If it's 8 beats (or 16) it's usually aadi taala, and if it's 3 (or 6), it's usually roopakam. The trick is keeping track of the beat even during complicated parts of the music. Learn to do that, and you'll be a pro! Then, you're worthy of sitting in the front row.

The notes of Carnatic music are not usually fixed. In this sense they are much like the do re mi fa so la ti of western music. A performer tunes an instrument to the desired pitch (accompanists of course tune to the main performer's pitch) or sings at whatever pitch is most comfortable. This is called the Kattai. Traditionally, the G above middle C is kattai 5, F is 4, A is 6, etc. Most Indian instruments do need tuning for each performance, according to the main artists' pitch - even percussion instruments are tuned.

The notes used correspond to do re mi, but are called sa ri ga ma pa da ni. Sa is shadjamam, the basic note that exists in all scales. It is used as a drone note (played on a tambura), along with Pa, pancamam, its fifth. In concerts, you will hear sa pa Sa playing in octaves in the background to allow musicians to stay in tune. The other notes are rishabam (ri), gaandaaram (ga), madyamam (ma), daivatam (da), and nishaadam (ni). These notes are called swaras.

While all scales have sa, not all have the other notes. Though sa ri ga ma pa da ni sa comprise the main vocalized notes of Carnatic music, the actual notes (relative frequencies) that they form number 12. There is only one sa (not counting octaves) and one pa, but there are 2 types of ma and 3 each of the other notes.

Relation between Taalam and rhythm

Rhythm in carnatic music changes for each composition. Songs are set to a specific taalam, or beat. Each taalam comes in cycles of a number of beats, called an aavartanam.

For example, one of the most common taalam is called aadi. In aadi taaLam, 8 beats (commonly 4 swaras to each beat) make one cycle. Thus, up to 32 swaras may comprise one cycle, lengthened and shortened to accomodate the taalam. Taalam is kept by beating the right hand gently against the right thigh while seated with your legs crossed ("Indian style").

For aadi taaLam, first beat the palm of the hand (1), then tap the fingers pinky (2), ring finger (3), middle finger(4). Then beat palm (5), turn the hand over and beat the back of the hand (6), palm (7), back 8. This is one cycle.

This cycle will repeat throughout the song. Although often the number of swaras per beat will change during a carnatic song, the actual beat changes within a song VERY rarely, and even then, it is a fixed change, not a slowing down or speeding up of the beat itself.

A Carnatic classical Concert and compositions

Compositions are composed in a fixed raga. This means that they do not deviate from the notes in the raga. In carnatic, there are no "accidentals" or variations in rhythm (there are exceptions but rarely). Each composition is set with specific notes and beats, but performers vary widely in their presentation. Improvisation occurs in the MELODY of the composition as well as in using the notes to expound the beauty of the raga.

As you enter the hall, you will notice the main performer(s) sitting in the middle. The musical sound you hear first is the drone (tambura) playing sa, pa, Sa. Accompanists like violin and veena sit to the main performer's left (your right), and percussion instruments are usually to your left. All performers sit on the stage without chairs or stools.

A concert (called as Kutcheri) will usually begin with a piece called a varnam. This piece is composed with an emphasis on swaras of the raga. It is lively and fast to get the audience's attention. Varnams also have words, the saahityam.

After the varnam, compositions are performed called kritis or keertanams. Most often, these compositions are religious in nature. These stick to one raga, although a few have sections composed of different ragas (a raagamaalika).

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The information in this blog pages are provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights. It is solely my imaginative creation to promote interest in Music and Creativity, with bits and pieces of inputs and collections from my friends from the www world. Inappropriate comments in any contents will be deleted as appropriate while doing the final touch. In addition, my thoughts and opinions may change from time to time...I consider this a necessary consequence of having an open mind. This site is intended to provide a semi-permanent point in time snapshot and manifestation of the various vibrations running around my brain, and as such any thoughts and opinions expressed in previous issues may not be the same, nor even similar, to those that I may hold today. Overall enjoy reading, listening as I consider Music is Magic, Music is Divine and it will improve the power to think clearly, the power to act well in the world's work, and the power to appreciate life and Q4music is just another source of continuous inspiration for those who care for it.